A New Attitude

"White women are becoming more optimistic about menopause," states a news release from the University of Texas at Austin. Whereas in the past, these women were worried about aging and losing their youthfulness, according to Dr. Eun-Ok Im, the lead researcher in the study, now they are facing their menopause transition with humor, viewing it as a time to "rethink their lives." According to the release, "African American, Hispanic, and Asian women already reported being more optimistic and positive about their menopause and their menopause symptoms than white women."

What else did the researchers find? That women were going through this transition with support from family and friends, and that minority women preferred this support come from their same ethnic group. That African American women, who experienced the most number of hot flashes of those surveyed, were more accepting of menopause, seeing it as part of the natural aging process and perhaps not as big a deal as some of the other difficulties in their lives. And perhaps one of the most telling findings was that few women had positive experiences with their doctors when they discussed their menopausal symptoms.

It's hoped that a study like this will lead to better, more culturally-inflected menopause care and help eliminate biases, according to Dr. Im. All of this is cheering news.